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Midterm 1 (Definitions)
Anthropology 202 (World History)
50
Anthropology
Undergraduate 2
10/07/2011

Additional Anthropology Flashcards

 


 

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Term
Prehistory
Definition
The era before the invention of writing. Dating of the prehistoric era varies geographically
Term
Writing
Definition
A technology for storing, manipulating, and communicating data. It was invented independently in three places: in Sumer in the Near East around 3100 B.C., around 1500 B.C. in China, and around 500-300 B.C. in Mesoamerica.
Term
Cultural Anthropology
Definition
Living people, societies, and cultures
Term
Linguistic Anthropology
Definition
Human language
Term
Physical or Biological Anthropology
Definition
Human biology and the fossil record of homo-sapiens 
Term
Archaeology
Definition
A method of studying the past. The study of ancient things that are the byproducts of human activities
Term
Material Culture
Definition
Physical manifestation of culture in the form of artifacts, features. and sites
Term
Excavation
Definition
A cavity formed by cutting, digging, or scooping to find artifacts and/or ecofacts
Term
Artifact
Definition
Any object or material made or used by a human in the past
Term
Ecofact
Definition
Remains of animals or plants that result from human activities but were not intentionally modified
Term
Feature
Definition
An artifact that cannot be moved such as a house, foundation, pyramid, or hearth
Term
Site
Definition
An accumulation of artifacts, features, ecofacts, and/or human skeletal remains tht represent places where people lived, died, or carried out certain activites in the past
Term
Fossil
Definition
Petrified remains of a once living organism
Term
Midden
Definition
Deposits of prehistoric garbage
Term
Association
Definition
The proximity of an archaeological artifact or feature to other artifacts or features in the same matrix
Term
Context
Definition
The relationship between an artifact and it setting
Term
Stratigraphy
Definition
Layering of soil or rock deposits
Term
Law of superposition
Definition
The deepest levels are the oldest
Term
Relative dating
Definition
The science determining the relative order of past events, without necessarily determining their absolute age
Term
Three age system
Definition

Stone age: 2.5 MYA-5000bp

Bronze age: 5000bp-3200bp

Iron age: 3200bp-present

Term
Paleolithic
Definition
The old stone age (primitave stone tools)
Term
Neolithic
Definition
The new stone age (stone tools were more complex)
Term
Cenozoic
Definition
Era: 65 MYA-present
Term
Quaternary
Definition
Period: 2 MYA-present
Term
Miocene
Definition
Epoch: 25-5.5 MYA
Term
Pliocene
Definition
Epoch: 5.5-2.0 MYA
Term
Pleistocene
Definition
2.0 million-12,000 years ago
Term
Holocene
Definition
12,000 years ago-present
Term
Dendochronology
Definition
Tree ring dating
Term
Radiocarbon dating
Definition
Using remaining carbon in objects to tell how old it is (recent times)
Term
Potassium-argon dating
Definition
A more exact dating method then the radiocarbon dating using the amount of potassium and argon to date how old something is
Term
Natural selection
Definition
In the struggle for survival, those organisms most well adapted to prevailing conditions will pass on their superior characteristics to succeeding generations with more frequency
Term
Adaptation
Definition
Adjusting to new enviromental circumstances 
Term
Bipedalism
Definition
The bodily attribute of being able to move on two feet
Term
Basal Paleolithic
Definition
2.5-1.8 MYA period marked by Oldowon tools and flakes
Term
Lower Paleolithic
Definition
1.8 million-300,000 years ago, this era was marked by the Acheulean tools like the handaxe
Term
Levallois technique
Definition
This is a more complex type of stone work where they struck sharp flakes off of a prepared core
Term
Mousterian
Definition
Flint flakes created by Homo neaderthalensis from 300,000 years to 30,000 years bp
Term
Upper Paleolithic (revolution)
Definition
Extensive use of stone blades- which are flakes that are at least twice as long as they are wide. Manufacture of objects from a wider variety of raw materials including bone, ivory, and wood. A great increase in the number of tools used to make other tools including burins (delicate chisels), borers (drills), needles (clothing), and scrapers. A great increase in hunting weapons like spears, javelins, harpoons, clubs, stone missiles, throwing sticks, and probably bow and arrows. long-distance trade.
Term
Pleistocene climate
Definition

2 million-12,000 years ago: marked by a series of cold periods (glacials) and warmer periods (interglacials)

Effects of Pleistocene glaciation: vast expanses of glacial ice which were barriers to human colonization, but water levels were lower so current islands were not islands during the pleistocene era.

Term
Glacial
Definition
Cold periods
Term
Interglacial
Definition
Warm periods
Term
Last glacial maximum
Definition
The last "ice age" (20,000 years ago)
Term
Development of language
Definition

Homo habilis had very limited speaking abilities

-Larynx descending

Term
Early social organization
Definition
Homo habilis, goups started to stick together. 
Term
Scopes trial
Definition
Scopes was accused of teaching evolution in class. He won the trial.
Term
Kitzmiller vs. Dover school district
Definition
Kitzmiller was accused of teaching the creation myth. He was fired.
Term
Oxygen isotope analysis
Definition
There are two isotopes: 16O and 18O, 16O tends to get obsorbed into glaciers. The concentration of 18O in the bones of sea animals will tell you how long ago it was alive. (bones stop absorbing 18O once dead)
Term
"Killer ape" hypothesis
Definition
Hypothesis made by Raymond Dart and it states that Australopithecines hunted and killed animals and ate their flesh
Term
Scavenging hypothesis
Definition
Hypothesis is by C. K. Brain and it states that humans would scavenge leftover food from the remains of big carnivorous mammals
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